GMT – The Furnace Swindon – 18th July

Well what a great show this was, no sound problems like last week.

I missed the first act, but I did catch most of Gwyn Ashton Two Man Blues Army and was mightily impressed, they are well worth checking out.

This was a top notch show from the moment the GMT intro tape bell started tolling, this changes into the Big Ben chimes, then into the (other) GMT pips and we are off with Cannonball, then into Bullet in the Brain. It’s obvious the band are having a ball. Big John McCoy prowls the stage as piles on the driving bass, Robin Guy puts in another top performance, I never thought a drummer could be so entertaining and last but by no means least Bernie Tormé adds all the squeals, squeaks and feedback to keep this punter more than happy.

The track listing is the same as last week at Wakefield until the end of the set when we get Mr. Crowley, then New Orleans and finally Smoke on the Water (complete with vocals this time). To sign off we got a genuine encore of the Jimi Hendrix classic Fire.

What can I say to my fellow Southern correspondents other than you missed a great show on your own door step, and at £8.80p I don’t think your going to get much better pound for pound value either.
GMT Rock and they certainly proved it at The Furnace.
NH

GMT – Wakefield DNE – 10th July

This is more like it, back to my usual budget range of concert going. £7 with no booking fee and £2.50 for a pint, only draw back was having to pay £4 to park the car.

This was new venue to me and the only draw back I could see was a run of pillars up the middle of the floor one of which is right in from of the stage, though have to say that it didn’t seem detrimental tonight.Support was from Ultraxine and Shield of Steel, the latter doing a good mixture of covers and their own material. Also on the bill was a female acoustic guitarist singer who went down quite well.

On to the main attraction Guy, McCoy, Tormé or GMT, those of you who know me know that in my eyes Bernie Tormé has no guitar equal, in fact I think he is number one (with Joe Bonamassa coming in a close second), so I have to say I was disappointed that tonight’s performance was marred by some major sound problems from the start. It did get better part way through the set that was made up of songs from the two GMT CDs, with Ball and Chain being the only song from the Bernie Tormé solo days. The set was brought to a close with New Orleans and Smoke on the Water which is when the sound gremlins returned again knocking out all of the vocals.

The crowd filled in to complete the set. Despite these problems, the band seemed to be having fun. Special mention must go to drummer Robin Guy who was worth the admission money on his own.

So I’ll be off to see them again at Swindon on Saturday, let hope the sound is sorted for then.

NH

AC/DC Wembley Stadium 26th June 2009 - Part 2

The View from the Gods

Those of you that see these pages often will appreciate that, as our Northern correspondent, I tend to do more of the, shall we say, “value” range of gigs, so £25 for parking and £4 for a pint of wishy washy girly larger came as bit of a shock to the wallet. Let’s face it that will easily cover the cost of my next two gigs and beer.

I have to say I was suitably impressed with the new national stadium and it must be great if you live in the South East, so if we could move it to say Birmingham I’d be happy. My seat is on the “half way line” three rows from the back, so we rang Heathrow airport for clearance before we took our seats.

First on are The Answer – I think they are a great band and the new CD Demon Eyes is already one of my favourites of 2009. The sound isn’t great, but is it ever for opening acts at stadiums? They seemed to go down well and I hope to see them later this year. They are possibly the future of Rock n Roll.Next up should have been Thin Lizzy but a late cancellation means its a band called The Subways that I’ve never heard of. Sorry but they did nothing for me at all, and quite frankly throwing a plastic bottle half full with water into the crowd is not clever, it’s just bloody stupid.

Onto the main attraction, I first saw AC/DC at Donnington 81. They simply are one of (if not the best) Rock n Roll bands around. The set opened with Rock n Roll Train, from where we where sat we couldn’t see the “train crash” but what we could see from our vantage point was the crushing at the front, all of a sudden our seats felt quite luxurious. I won’t bore you with a set list; suffice to say there were songs from the full history of the band including 5 from the new CD, Black Ice.


The main set ended with a great driving version of Let There be Rock. Encores were Highway to Hell and For Those About to Rock. I suspect it may be the last time I see the band live, I hope it’s not.

NH

AC/DC Wembley Stadium 26th June 2009 - Part 1

View from the pitch

So less than 24 hours later after the stunning Chickenfoot gig here we are at Wembley Stadium on another hot sunny day.

First up The Answer. They have been lucky enough to support AC/DC right across the globe indoors and now outdoors. What an opportunity for a young band. With a set culled from their new cd Everyday Demons with only the last song from Rise. Demon Eyes and On and On came over very well and we look forward to seeing them in Oxford in December.

Next up the Subways. Replacing Thin Lizzy at the last moment they were totally rubbish. 50 minutes we had to stand there. Each song sounding like the last. Nothing different. On totally the wrong bill. If I ever see them again it would be too soon!!

Gigs like this are different. You all go to pay homage to rock giants. You sing along, jump up and down with total strangers but it is a celebration of our love for them and their music. Iron Maiden at Twickenham was exactly the same. The anticipation for tonite made even more by the lack of tickets for their recent indoor shows and realisation that it is probably their last tour and English performance.
AC/DC was my first arena gig way back on the 18th of October 1982 at Wembley Arena with Y&T in support of their For Those About To Rock cd!! This was my 9th time in seeing them. As the lengthy cartoon started fever pitch was reached and as the full scale locomotive burst through the back of the stage and Angus cranks out the riff to Rock n'Roll Train the place goes nuts!! Brian Johnson is off straight down the lengthy walkway down the centre of the stadium (leading to a platform in the centre of the stadium!!) Next up Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be. No let up from band or crowd.
The Setlist was the same as for the recent shows plus Thunderstruck and Dog Eat Dog.
We got in no particular order.
5 off Black Ice(Rock n'Roll Train, Big Jack,War Machine, Anything Goes and Black Ice)
4 off Back In Black(Back in Black, Shoot To Thrill, Hells Bells and You Shook Me All Night Long)
and Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Shot Down In Flames, The Jack, T.N.T., Whole Lotta Rosie, Thunderstruck, Dog Eat Dog, Let There Be Rock with encores of Highway To Hell and For Those About To Rock.

Highlights all of it really. Enormous light rig. Perfect sound, screens, a locomotive, The Bell(for which Brian took an enormous run up and swang around like a 10 year old not 61!!) an enormous blow up Rosie sat on the train and the cannons at the end.
Brian sounded very good I have to say. Great frontman and only a few wheezy vocals in a 2 hour plus very sweaty show.
The band(Cliff, Phil and Malcolm) did not miss a beat, even during Let There Be Rock when Angus did a stunning 10 minute solo on the platform. On other tours they have slowed it down a bit but as the whole crowd watched Angus they kept up a monstrous beat in a purple light. Stunning.
Angus? What can we say? He duckwalked, he stripped during The Jack (yes we cheered a 54 year old man who wore a schoolboy uniform and stripped!!!) and his geetar work was stunning. Some of the best ever.

During the mayhem of For Those About To Rock a sudden realisation of this is probably the last time of seeing them came over me and the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Wow. After 2 hours and 7 minutes they were gone. No goodbyes(as ever) but will their stadium shows in Australia(back home) early next year be the end. I expect so and what a legacy of stunning shows right till the end.

The last 2 nights were just off the scale. Totally different but just showing live music at its finest.
I can't score this one. It needs no score!!
ME

Video Presentation

Here is a list of the videos we have featured today... plus a few extras.

Be advised there is a fair bit of Rock n' Roll Language in these so if you're offended don't click.

Blackberry Smoke
Brett Michaels hitting Broadway (literally)
The wonderful Chickenfoot set closer from last month (we were there!).. watch for Chad destroying his kit at the end and the look of horror on his face as it hits Sammy.
Angus gets soaked by a "fan"
Axl Rose vs Argentina (he does have a point though!)
Billie Joe from Green Day putting his money where his mouth is.
Iron Maiden - Blaze and Steve get mad...and not atBlaze's vocals (which is a surprise)
We love Van Halen here at Rockgig Towers but this is truly awful!

GMT - Evil Twin

Ok I’m a bit late with this review but I wanted to see if my initial thoughts on this great CD still held true a few months on. Well I’m glad to say they do.

I have to say I’m a big fan of Bernie Tormé, to me he is still one of the most exciting guitarists around.

Onto the CD which starts with Punko Rocco which has Dee Snider guesting on vocals a fast paced number that sets the tone. Bullet the Brain, Evil Twin and You Can’t Hold Me have lots of the screeching guitar sounds that are Bernie’s signature. One of These Days opens with the distinctive bass of John McCoy. Then we are onto the seven minute long Jonny Star which adds a different mix to the CD, it takes a bit of getting into but well worth the effort. Then we are back to a basic rocker- Holy Roller –driven on by the impressive drumming of Robin Guy. Then it’s by favorite Wheel of Fortune which includes a classic Mr. Tormé solo (let’s hope it’s in the live set). Then we have a nine minute blues song Perfumed Garden. The CD is closed with the pacey Humours of Mr. McCoy. All the way through the CD has a real dirty “live” feel to it, which I think is great.

I also own the Audio Phile uncut version of Evil Twin as well (sad, I know) This gives a different even more dirty sound and extended versions of the songs, which is real treat for Wheels of Fortune. The GMT Website has all the technical stuff.

I’ll be off to see GMT at Wakefield and Swindon in July, if you can make it you really should go and check this great band out.

Let’s hope Wheel of Fortune is in the set, and I’d love to hear Lighting Strikes live again.

Also any chance of a few words from any, or allof the band for Rock gig reviews would be really appreciated.

Cheers

NH